BMGT 205
Fall 2017
1
Research Mission Letter Assignment – 100 points
Date Deliverable Due
Friday , October 13 Research mission signup
Friday , October 20 Upload Low-States Writing 3 to D2L Assignment Submission
Folder by 11:59 pm
Monday, October 23 Bring hard copy draft of Research Mission Letter and Competent
workplace communication text to class for peer review
Wednesday, October 25 Upload final document for instructor evaluation to D2L Assignment
Submission Folder by 11:59 pm
Upload final document to assigned D2L group locker folder by
11:59 pm
Impromptu research mission presentations in class
Learning Outcomes (Addresses BMGT 205 Learning Outcomes 1, 4, 7, 8, 9):
? Use of SPACE guidelines to guide communication
? Practice assessing the ABCCs of information sources
? Demonstration of knowledge of when to give credit to others in your written communication
? Experience communicating clearly a written summary of your research
? Composition of a professional-quality letter
Assignment Overview
This assignment allows you to report on your research mission while practicing a customary form of
business correspondence – a letter. In class, you will sign up to research a particular area related to the
205 Big Idea Challenge. For Low Stakes #3, you identified and evaluated at least four sources related to
your research mission. To complete the Research Mission Letter assignment, you need synthesize your
sources and provide insight into and information about the particular area of your research. What you
learned about your assigned research topic will be presented to the instructor in the form of a letter. In
addition, you will need to post your document to the designated D2L group locker folder. This posting
will be accessible to your classmates for use in the next phase of the 205 Big Idea Challenge.
Assignment Requirements
? Your letter should be in block style, formatted in the traditional business manner. You can review the
example in Figure 9.1 on page 138 in the Competent workplace communication text for reference.
? Your letter should be printed in professional font with 1-inch margins. The letter must be no more
than two pages long (three with the reference page).
? You must follow APA guidelines to provide in-text citations of sources and include a separate
reference page. Guidance for APA-consistent references may be found on the course D2L site and
online at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ (a more comprehensive set of
instructions with some examples).
? Your letter should include both your mailing address and your instructor’s office mailing address in
the correct format.
BMGT 205
Fall 2017
2
Assignment Grading
I will apply the following guidelines when grading.
? Format (15 points)
? Within page limit
? Business letter block format
? Writing Quality (15 points)
? Appropriate sentence structure
? Proper grammar
? Correct punctuation
? Typographical and spelling accuracy
? Appropriate Structure and Organization (15 points)
? Organization (proper introduction, body, and conclusion)
? Clarity of main points through topic sentence
? Use of house at macro and micro levels
? Argument Quality (15 points)
? Key points addressed
? Logic and support for assertions
? Flow of ideas across document
? Content (25 points)
? Reports on results of research mission
? Includes only information relevant to research mission
? Attends to what should be SAID
? Shows concern for instrumental, relational, and self-presentation goals
? APA Style (15 points)
? Proper APA for in-text citations
? Reference page with for at least four sources cited in document
? Proper APA for reference list
Low-Stakes Writing 3: Research Mission Source Evaluations and Citations
To complete this assignment, you will need to identify at least four sources for your Research Mission. You will (1) identify your research mission and then (2) evaluate each of the four sources by addressing the following (A-F) for each source.
For guidance as you complete A-D, please refer to Chapter 5 of Competent workplace communication.
A. Assessment and explanation of the authority of this source
B. Assessment and explanation of the bias of this source
C. Assessment and explanation of the content of this source
D. Assessment and explanation of the currency of this source
For guidance as you complete E-F, please refer to the APA guidelines posted to D2L. All citations provided for 205 Big Idea Challenge assignments must follow APA guidelines, so this practice and feedback will improve your grades on those assignments.
E. Provide the first and second in-text citations according to the APA guidelines
F. Create a reference list including all four sources consistent with APA guidelines
